Researchers have developed a nanovaccine that, when combined with antibodies and ibrutinib, shows potential as an effective treatment for melanoma. Immune checkpoint therapy, a form of cancer therapy which targets the immune system, has proven to be an effective treatment method for melanoma, the most aggressive type of skin cancer. However, immune checkpoint therapy is limited by a low response rate, severe side effects, and acquired resistance to treatment. There is a need to develop an altern...

According to a recent study, an increased consumption of vitamin A is associated with a decreased risk of squamous cell carcinoma. The second most common form of skin cancer, squamous cell carcinoma arises when an uncontrolled growth occurs in the outermost layer of the skin, called the epidermis. Sun exposure is a huge risk factor of squamous cell carcinoma. This cancer appears as persistent, thick, rough, scaly patches that can bleed. For this study, published in Journal of the American Medica...

​ Five-year overall survival results have now been revealed for nivolumab in advanced melanoma, renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). "We report, to our knowledge, the longest combined clinical follow-up for patients with multiple cancer types receiving any anti–PD-L1 drug," the researchers comment in their secondary analysis of data from the phase I CA209-003 trial and expansion cohorts. This trial was the first multidose trial of nivolumab, an immunotherapy drug t...

According to a new study, published in Science Signaling, fat cells play a role in transforming local melanoma cells in the epidermis to metastatic melanoma cells that migrate to attack different organs. "We have answered a major question that has preoccupied scientists for years," stated lead study author, Carmit Levy, MD, PhD, and Professor at Tel Aviv University. "What makes melanoma change form, turning aggressive and violent? Locked in the skin's outer layer, the epidermis, melanoma is very...

Vemurafenib, an inhibitor of mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling downstream of BRAF V600E , can be successfully used to treat patients with metastatic melanoma. However, it produces a high incidence of therapeutic resistance. New strategies are needed to treat vemurafenib-resistant melanoma, so researchers used two bioactive compound libraries and identified two possible targets: deguelin and rotenone. "Breakthroughs in understanding the molecular basis for the disease have led to a coupl...